Gilbert bishop



Inventar ww/7, 7a2/7J u. MERS, PHOTO-UTMOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. uc,

IINITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT BISHOP, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY VENEER-MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17 ,958, dated August 11, 1857.

To all 'whom t may concern .i

Be it known that I, GILBERT BISHOP, of the city of New York, N. Y.,mechanical engineer, have invented a new and useful Machine for CuttingVeneers and other Thin Stuif from the Log, and that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and the letters of reference thereon, making partof this my specification.

Figure I, represents a plan of the machine or top view, a part of thecircular disk plate being removed in the drawing to show the parts ofthe mechanism beneath it. Fig. II, represents a back view or elevationof the machine. Fig. III, represents a front view Y or elevation.

In all the figures like letters represent lik parts.

The nature of my invention consists in cutting veneers and other thinstuff by a knife with a circular or curved edge in' rotation in the lineof its edge, while the log fromwhich the veneer is to be cut is vibratedor turned toward the knife edge as it passes, so that the knifeprogressively covers the whole top surface of the log and cuts theveneer by a continuous rotary drawing, thrusting and varying stroke ofthe edge from point to heel, as the log is presented to and brought incontact with it.

The frame and floor of the machine consist of a bed plate A, A, and thetwo parallel upright standards B, B, connected by a cross head C, all ofwhich should be of iron firmly-put together and of sufficient strengthto sustain the action of the machine without yielding. The bed plateshould be well supported upon masonry, or compact ballasting underneath,and should have a very accurate level.

The knife for cutting the veneer is placed upon the under surface of adisk or solid wheel of metal D, D, fixed upon a vertical shaft D',having its lower bearing in a block D", where it is received andrevolves in asocket joint turned to fit it. The up per bearing of D', isthe cross-head C,

.through which it passes, and which is provided with a proper journalbox or bush in which it revolves. The disk D must be a plate ofsufficient thickness to carry the knife steadilythrough the log, and theunder surface should be regular and even and perfectlyV horizontal; theupper surface may taper so as to grow thinner from the cen-- ter towardthe edge. Through this disk is cut the eccentric slot E, which is forthe purpose of forming a mouth (as in a plane stock) or opening for theveneer to come through as it is cut by the knife. The side of the slottoward the center of the disk is beveled away from its lower edge asindicated by the line e, e, Fig. I, and the mouth is also beveled andwider at the end where the cut begins than at the opposite end towardwhich it tapers evenly. Upon the under side of the disk'is fixed theknife, the edge of which forms a continuation of the beveled side of theslot just described, and has the same bevel to form the edge. This knifeis a iiat plate of steel having its cutting edge curved to conform tothe slot or mouth as described; its two ends are parallel and straightand the back is straight. It is inserted into a recess in the undersurface of the disk, made to iit it, and so that its under surface willjust be flush and even with the rest of the under surface of the disk,but project according to the thickness of the veneer to be cut. It isfastened to the disk by means of screws passing through it and into thedisk from the under side; the heads of these screws must not projectbelow the under surface of the knife. Upon the upper side of the diskand over the knife plate are placed the adjusting screws f, f, j', f,the ends of which screws pass through the disk and touch the uppersurface of the knife plate. These screws by being turned in connectionwith the fastening screws in the knife plate underneath, serve to adjustthe knife plate, and hold it firmly when fixed, in the desired position.

The log from which the veneer is to be cut is placed in an oblongrectangular framed box or chest in front of the machine and under therotary disk, as shown at G, Gr, G, G. This box is supported at thecenter or middle by a vertical shaft H, Fig. I, to which it is fixed,and upon the head of which it rests. A shoulder or collar piece H', Fig.III, is fastened to the under side of the box around the head of theshaft to insure greater steadiness and strength; a circular pedestal orblock H", receives the lower endl of shaft H, and its top surface beingsmooth and flat forms a support for the shoulder H', and upon which itvibrates, and serves to keep the log box above, true and steady. As afurther support to the log box there are placed under either end of thebox two circular ways, the top edges of which are seen at I, I, Fig. I;they'rest upon and are fastened to the bed plate by the flanges andscrews I, z'. The circular ways, I, I, extend as far as the line ofvibration of the box G. The under surface of box G traverses upon and issustained by the upper edges of the circular ways. The upper surface oredge of box G, is arranged to just pass freely under the disk D, closeto it but without touching it, and so t-hat the knife edge will passover the whole upper surface of the log as the knife rotates with thedisk.

For the purpose of vibrating or turning the box and log held by it so asto meet the edge of the knife and produce the conipound drawing andthrusting stroke desired, I connect and combine the revolution of shaftD with the log box in the manner and by the means now to be described.Upon the end of box G, is fixed the bracket g, having upon it the pin 1.In the rear of the log box in line with shaft D and upright B is placedthe vertical shaft K, having its lower bearing in block and its upperbearing in the projecting bracket L fastened to standard B (Fig. II).Upon shaft K is placed the straight arm K, adjustable upon the sha-ftand held by screw a passing through it to the shaft. The arm K is madeadjustable in order to increase or reduce the play of the box G withwhich it is connected as hereafter described. Upon the projecting end ofarm K is the vertical pin 2. The bar M connects K with bracket g, and isheld by the pins 1 and 2 passing through holes in either end; so thatwhen shaft K is turned the box G must move with it. Shaft K is made toturn by means of the curved toe or cam L fastened upon it by screw 5,and adjustable, and which is operated by the cam piece N fixed uponshaft D adjustable upon the shaft by screws c, c, passing through slotsCZ, (Z, into the ring piece or collar O fast to the shaft D. Upon theunder side of the ring piece or collar O is another cam P fastened to itby screws and slots so as to be adjustable, and at an angle to cam Ngreater or less according to the play to be given to the log box. Uponthe box G at the end opposite to g, is the bracket g. In the seat and inline vwit-h the shafts D and K is the vertical shaft K having its lowerbearing in block 7c and itsupper bearing in bracket L fast to upright B.Upon I is the horizontal arm Q adjustable and fixed by screw a. Theloose end of arm Q, is connected with bracket g on the log box by meansof the connecting bar M having at either end holes to fit on to theupright pins 3 and 4 and turn freely upon them. Upon shaft K below Q, isfixed the curved cam or toe L adjustable and secured to shaft by screwb.

K is turned by cam P pressing against the toe L by the revolut-ion ofshaft D and by this arrangement t-he end of the box at g is thrown backto meet the approaching edge of the knife, as it is carried forward bythe rotation of shaft D and disk D.

The box G for holding the log is open at the sides with a space in frontsufhcient to admit the log; it is provided with a movable or falsebottom. This bottom is composed of three pieces 5, 6, 7 two of which 5and 7 run the whole length of the inside of the box; the third or middlepiece 6 is a caul or flat plate pierced with holes, to admit of shortscrews by which the log is fastened to the plate or caul. The two pieces5 and 7 have their inner edges beveled underneath, and the middle platehas its edges beveled from above so that it slides or shuts under thebeveled edges of the side pieces and is so held down, but being shorterthan the two pieces 5 and 7 it will slide toward either end of the boxas may be required for adjusting the log to the knife edge.

For placing or removing the caul (6) with or without t-he log` attached,the bottom piece 7 is made to act as a clamp in connection with 5 by theoperation of screws 8, 9, 10 passing through the fixed brackets 12, 13,14 fast to longitudinal plate 15 at its front edge, and intocorresponding bracket underneath plate 7 and fastened to it, plate 7being kept in a true line by pins on its under side sliding incorresponding straight slots in the plate underneath. When screws 8, 9,10 are screwed up they close the clamp plate 7 upon the caul, G, and itis thus in connection with 5 held in place; and when the screws areunscrewed they withdraw clamp plate 7, and release the caul, 6, to betaken out.

For effecting and adjusting the feed of the log to the knife there arefixed to the lower part of the log box G two pair of horizontal pulleys,front and rear of the saine size and in the same line or plane; thefront pair are seen in Fig. III at 15, 16, they are supported byprojecting brackets fastened to the bottom piece of the log box, and aregrooved in their edges to receive an endless chain or belt passingaround the whole four; to each of these pulleys is fixed at the center avertical screw 25 which passes up from the bracket over the pulley to acorresponding bracket above, in which is a screw thread in which thescrew works these last mentioned upper brackets (the front pair seen at17, 18) support the movable or false bottom above described.

In front of the logr box and midway between the pulleys 15, 16, and inline with them is a horizontal pulley supported by brackets and havingabove it the ratchet wheel 19, having the saine axis. A pawl,

20, xed upon an upright spindle, 21, adjustable upon it by screw, 22, atits loose end catches into the teeth of the ratchetwheel, lto which itis kept close, when required by the spring 23, fastened to bracket 24C,which by an elbow sustains also the upper partof spindle 21. The endlesschain n To turn the feed off as soon as it has raised f the logsuiiiciently for each stroke of the knife, a cam is placed upon theupper bracket which sustains the middle pulley, which cam is adjustableby a slot and screw passing through it into the bracket; and the end ofthe pawl is notched out so as to leave a projecting point on its underside to catch in the ratchet wheel just long enough to give thenecessary feed, when the upper or shorter part meets the projecting cam,and the pawl is instantly turned olf the ratchet and the feed ceasesuntil it is renewed by the next return stroke.

In operating the machine, the process is v as follows: The log issquared and the caul (6) is screwed to the under surface of the log, andthe log and caul are placed in the log-box through the open space infront of the box, and the clamp (7) is screwed up so as to hold the caulfast between the clamp pieces 5, 7. For cutting hard or dry woods thelog should first be thoroughly steamed in a close chest filled with hotwater and steam together, so as to soften without burning the wood. Theknife plate and edge are adjusted to the desired pitch by screws f, f,and the screws on the under side of the knife plate. The pawl and itsreleasing cam are adjusted to feed the log to the thickness of theveneer required. The log-box is placed parallel with cross-head C, asshown by Gr, G, G, G. The cams N and P are then in the positionindicated by those letters respectively, the toes L, L, are in thepositions indicated by the positions of those letters respectively; theknife edge e, e, is just approaching the log ready to begin the stroke.Power being communicated to shaft D, inthe direction of the arrows, theedge of the knife is at once brought into contact with the log by adrawing cu-t from right to left; at the same time cam N, presses uponthe toe L, which being connected by arm K', and bar M, with the end ofthe log box at bracket g, forces the log box back, as shown by the darkdotted lines, and brings the log against the knife at a varying angle,and so that the knife in passing covers the whole upper surface of thatend of log which is toward g. When t-he cam N, has passed the toe L, theother end of the log box at g by means of the connecting bar M, and armQ, has brought the toe L, forward so that it meets the cam P, and beingpressed upon by cam P, it vibrates the log box back by the sameconnections so that the surface of the log toward g', is covered by theknife at a Varying angle of the cut; this again brings N, and L, intoposition to again vibrate the log box and the log to receive the strokeof the knife as before. The different positions of the log box and itsconnections are shown by t-he black and red dotted lines, Fig. I. Ateach vibration of the box the ratchet wheel is brought against the pointof the pawl and is turned the required distance carrying with it thepulleys, the endless chain or belt and the feed screws, so as to keep upthe feed.

The knife plate instead of being placed Within the periphery of disk D,and under a mouth or slot as above described, may be placed upon theextreme edge of the disk but eccentrically to the disk as above; inwhich case the diameter of the disk will be less. In cutting very hardor crutch woods this mode of sett-ing the knife may be advantageous.

Having thus described my machine and the manner of operating the same,what I claim therein as my invent-ion, and which I desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The revolving disk and knife placed eccentrically to the disk uponthe under surface or upon the edge of the disk, and having a curved edgefor cutting the log in the line or direction of the edge of the knife.

2. The vibrating of the log by means of the log box, arms, cams and toesconnected with the rotation of the shaft of the disk as described, so asto present the whole top surface of the log to the edge of the knife asit passes, and by a continuously varying line of cut or stroke.

3. I claim the manner of constructing the log box with the movablebottom composed of the caul and clamp pieces for holding, shifting andadjusting the log as above described.

4. I claim the combination of the log-box and feed apparatus operatingtogether as above described. Y

GILBERT BISHOP. Wit-nesses:

J. B. STAPLES, GEO. W. Fox.

